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Laura Gober, MD, has long been fascinated by the human immune system. “I think it’s remarkable that microscopic cells do so much to keep us healthy by protecting us from danger in the everyday world around us,” she says.
Dr. Gober was drawn to the field of allergy and immunology by her interest in helping patients with food allergies and eosinophilic esophagitis. “These diseases have a huge impact, not just on the patient, but on the entire family,” she says.
Luckily, great strides are being made in the treatment of these illnesses. “How these conditions develop is still a mystery to us, but so much work is being done to figure out the mystery and to better treat these patients,” Dr. Gober notes.
Interventional approaches such as oral immunotherapy for food allergies — which helps reduce patients’ sensitivity by exposing them to very small quantities of allergens under medical supervision — are exciting to Dr. Gober.
Because severe food allergies can be life-threatening, the steps patients and their families must take to avoid allergens are often extreme. Children who must avoid any exposure to allergens, which are often very common foods, can miss out on many important pursuits as a result.
“Oral immunotherapy, by raising patients’ tolerance of allergens, can have an enormous positive effect, enabling them to engage more fully in everyday life. It can dramatically improve and enrich children’s lives,” Dr. Gober says.
Dr. Gober is also enthusiastic about the promise of biologic medications for conditions such as asthma, hives, and more recently eosinophilic esophagitis. Biologic medications are derived from living organisms such as bacteria, plants or animals, which are modified to target specific molecules in humans.
Biologic medications for eosinophilic esophagitis are a cutting-edge treatment, and Dr. Gober is pleased that she works at CHOP, a center of innovation in pediatric healthcare where patients can take advantage of the very best treatment options.
But it’s also important, Dr. Gober says, that the whole CHOP team “strives to make it a place where children feel comfortable and safe.”
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